What does it all mean?
So many things are positive about Gen Yers that we could be fooled into thinking that we should just give them the keys, but, not so…. They are young, and young people make “young people’s mistakes.” They underestimate the time and money it will take to get things done, just like we did. They will make mistakes in managing and leading others that will be costly and sometimes crushing. They’ll underestimate their lack of respect for intellectual property and be shocked when they make mistakes that cause their employer to hire a team of lawyers that will have to work for years to defend their “innocent sharing” of intellectual property. They need the wisdom and the structure that Boomers and Gen Xers bring to the workplace. They need opportunity, development, feedback, and growth, and they need guidance. They will probably also have to do some of the menial work that none of us wanted to do but most of us had to do. And why not? Why should they miss out on such excellent character-building opportunities?
Of course they are innovative, so maybe if we give them some room, they can figure out how to get the menial work done without actually doing it via robotics, electronics, and other creative solutions. We hope so, but the quickly approaching storm is still the Boomer’s exiting, not Gen Y coming.
Due to generational differences, the Boomers have not been good about sharing their knowledge and experience, and Gen X has not been good about tapping into it. Currently, 65 percent of all national leaders are Boomers. The Boomers “retain much of the experiential, technical, institutional and political knowledge in the workplace. They have the industry connections, networks, and inside scoop to get things done. They have experienced successes and learned from their failures. They are community builders and can galvanize a force of their own at the drop of a hat. And they have vision. Those are the characteristics that Gen Xers need to learn in order to assume the leadership mantle in the future.”1
Not one of the generations has it all figured out. Well, maybe Gen Yers still think that, but they won’t for long. Paul Watzlawick once said, “The belief that one’s own view of reality is the only reality is the most dangerous of all delusions.” Hopefully each generational group realizes that we can learn from each other and that our collective wisdom should bring about a truly better workplace for everyone.
In William Bridges’s work around transitions, he states that a change is when something stops and then something else begins. But a transition is something that happens over time. It usually has an ending, a neutral zone, and then a new beginning. Bridges says that it is in the neutral zone where there is chaos. It seems the workforce as a whole may be in the neutral zone right now. It’s not what it was, but it is not yet what it is going to be either, and yes, we are experiencing some chaos.2
How do we get through the chaos? Well, we need leaders and good leadership. It is during this chaos that we have the potential to lose our way and end up lost. Maybe we’re just hopelessly optimistic, but we believe we’ll come out of the chaos and establish the new and that the new will ultimately be better. Of course, we could be wrong, but we’re sure that time will let us know one way or the other.
Every generation imagines itself to be more intelligent than the one that went before it, and wiser than the one that comes after it.
— George Orwell
Talking ‘bout my generation.
— Pete Townsend
Notes
1. Gilburg, Deborah On. “Generation X: Stepping Up to the Leadership Plate.” CIO. CXO Media Inc. a Subsidiary of IDG Enterprise, 31 Jan. 2007. Web. 24 July 2010. http://www.cio.com/article/28475/Generation_X_Stepping_Up_to_the_Leadership _Plate.
2. Bridges, William. Managing Transitions: Making the Most of Change. Reading, MA: Addison-Wesley, 1991. Print.